Leaving the yamen.
Shen Yi entered an eatery, ordered a pot of yellow wine, and six stuffed buns.
After hesitating for a moment, he also sliced some salted pork.
Having reached the Initial Realm, and compared to common grains, those who practiced martial arts preferred foods that were rich in Essence Yuan. Unfortunately, with the salary of a low-ranking servant, he simply couldn't afford such luxuries.
Still, he had to eat, so he had to control his appetite.
Finding a seat, Shen Yi sipped his wine with bites of meat.
It was lunchtime, and the eatery should have been packed, yet it was unusually quiet.
The passersby showed neither joy nor sorrow on their faces, only a numbness that seemed borne of habit.
Shen Yi lowered his head and took a bite of his stuffed bun.
He was just a lowly clerk, unable to alleviate the suffering of the masses, only striving to claw his way out of this mud.
The few scattered diners were engrossed in their meals, with hardly anyone engaged in lively conversation.
Thus, the quiet talk of the only two chatting men still drifted to Shen Yi's ears.
"There's a dead body on Liuye Street."
"I know, I just passed by there. Don't mention it, or I'll lose my appetite."
With an expressionless face, Shen Yi picked up the wine pot and drank the slightly sour, bitter liquid which helped him swallow the dry pancake more easily.
Liuye Street was under his jurisdiction, or to be precise… he had woken up there himself.
Yet Shen Yi had received no news, not even as much as a passerby.
He recalled Song Changfeng's warning upon leaving.
The higher-ups were quick, managing to blindside him in such a short span of time.
"Did you hear it was a death by biting?"
"Stop talking about it, do you want to eat or not? I got there early and caught a glimpse. I still feel nauseous just thinking about it."
The two men continued their murmuring.
Shen Yi wrinkled his brows, looking at the fire-roasted bun in his hand, his appetite similarly gone.
He decided to wrap the remaining bun and salted meat in a lotus leaf, then reached for his saber. "Waiter, the bill."
...
Baiyun County, Liuye Street.
A few servants, pinching their noses, walked out of a small courtyard. "Disgusting. I wouldn't have come if I knew."
"It's not even our turf; why bother wading into this mess?"
"Zhang Sir, you have to plead with the higher-ups for us, patrolling a couple more streets is fine, but our salaries have to go up."
Zhang Pengtian glared back at them: "Enough with the nonsense. If you don't want the job, get lost. There are plenty who will do it."
When he turned back around, he was stunned.
A familiar young man, wearing his waist saber, had appeared before him, quietly looking toward the small courtyard.
"Oh! Officer Shen!"
Zhang Pengtian hurriedly clasped his fists, "Which wind blew you here?"
Shen Yi nodded slightly and stepped towards the courtyard.
Seeing this, Zhang Pengtian quickly blocked him, his smile more of a grimace as he said, "If this were outside a brothel, I'd personally carry Officer Shen in, expenses on me... but this is an official task as ordered from above, you know it's not quite proper for you to be here, right?"
Shen Yi looked down.
Just two days ago, he had stood right there, making the same gesture as the man in front of him.
"Officer Shen, if you don't give me face, at least give face to the Eunuch Clerk."
When he saw that Shen Yi showed no intention of backing down, Zhang Pengtian's smile faded: "I'll put my words here today, anyone in Baiyun County can enter this courtyard, but you, Shen Yi, cannot."
Once, they feared Shen Yi because of the magistrate's favor towards him.
But now the tide had turned. The higher-ups were clearly targeting the Shen surname. Once stripped of his tiger's skin, the man was nothing more than a blustering fox.
"Brothers, brandish your weapons for Officer Shen, let him sober up from his drunkenness."
Zhang Pengtian loosened his wrists, and at his signal, the men behind him swiftly drew their blades three inches and glared over with furrowed brows.
The next moment, an official boot abruptly stamped into Zhang Pengtian's abdomen.
Besieged by the potent force, he had no chance to react before he was sent flying like a broken sack.
Shen Yi dusted off his robe and strode in.
"You... You dare rebel?!"
The remaining constables had not expected such decisive action from their opponent and hesitated, unsure of what to do, weapons in hand.
Just then, Chen Ji rushed over with the Niu brothers and Zhang Dahua from the head of the street.
Charging to the courtyard entrance, he clutched his sheath and swung it down viciously: "Are you blind dogs, not recognizing which street this is? Tie them up!"
Upon hearing this, Zhang Dahua was momentarily stunned.
Normally, these were the words he would say, usually directed at the common folk—it was his first time using them on his colleagues.
Chen Ji, who previously had disdained such bullying, was now swearing with even more proficiency than him. What had gotten into him today?
Despite his confusion, Zhang Dahua, along with the Niu brothers, pounced forward and quickly tied up the constables like zongzi.
No matter what they thought of Shen Yi, they were in public. They couldn't lose face in front of outsiders!
"Indeed..."
Chen Ji had been patrolling the streets and, upon hearing some murmurs, suddenly had a premonition and hurried over with his men.
"Indeed what? Trying to look smart. With Officer Shen's temperament, how could he tolerate others encroaching on his turf," Zhang Dahua spat.
Chen Ji glanced at him and thought the explanation plausible. They could let Zhang Dahua apologize to the authorities later.
As for the real reason.
Chen Ji himself found it hard to believe, but he still thought... perhaps it was because this family had been killed by demonic beasts.
Considering Shen Yi's behavior in the village that day, if it wasn't an act, he was definitely going to come take a look.
...
Inside the small courtyard.
Shen Yi crouched down, looking at the two corpses that had finally been pieced together on the straw mat.
He took a deep breath and carefully arranged the five scattered fingers of the frail young girl.
It was this hand that had awkwardly, yet soothingly, washed his feet earlier.
According to past experiences, victims of demons were usually left in pieces, but today was different. The Liu Family father and daughter, though fragmented—and their ears and eyes were picked up and put back—showed no signs of being eaten.
This was not a hunt, but a cruel murder filled with vengeance!
Just like with Old Huang the Sixth, demons have their kin and friends too. If any one of them knew where the black-furred Dog Demon had been that night, they might not guess who acted, but they don't need evidence for revenge, just venting their rage will suffice.
"No, are these your relatives?"
Zhang Pengtian, who was kicked until he spasmed, struggled to lift his head: "And you hit me, damn it... what the hell can you do after looking? Have the guts to go to the county magistrate, take it out on the demon outside the city."
"It's obviously the handiwork of a Dog Demon, but can you find out which one did it? Even if you could, what could you do about it?"
With the constant babble in his ears, Shen Yi felt overwhelmed and frustrated.
He snatched up a white cloth and covered the two corpses.
A mere low-ranking official, who couldn't summon the Demon-suppression Bureau or command the city guards, at best could only call upon a few hapless runners.
The only thing Shen Yi could rely on was the broken sword in his hand.
If he couldn't find out who did it, then he wouldn't look for them.
...